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In an apparent show of solidarity for anti-hijab protestors in Iran, the national football team chose not to sing the national anthem before their first match against England at the FIFA World Cup 2022 on Monday, 21 November.
What did the team say? Before the match, captain Alireza Jahanbakhsh said that the team would “collectively” decide whether or not to refuse to sing the national anthem in solidarity with anti-government protesters in Iran.
Earlier, defender Ehsan Hajsaf opened up about the protest and said:
"We have to accept the conditions in our country are not right and our people are not happy. We are here but it does not mean we should not be their voice or we should not respect them,” Hindustan Times reported.
Iran’s players have previously expressed support for the demonstrations as well, which were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in custody of Iran’s morality police, for allegedly wearing her Hijab inappropriately.
While some of the players donned black jackets during a friendly match this year, others have chosen not to celebrate the goals they score for the national side.
Amini, an Iranian of Kurdish origin, died on 16 September, three days following her arrest, in Tehran over an alleged breach of Iran’s dress code of women, which constitutes mandatorily wearing the hijab headscarf.
(With inputs from Reuters and Hindustan Times)
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